Am I my brother's keeper?
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
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Straight to the Cross
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COLUMN: REALITY CHECK
Am I my brother's keeper?
by Stan Mitchell
tinyurl.com/3zyxyau
It was Cain, of course, who asked this question.
"The Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel, your brother?'
He said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?'"
(Genesis 4:9).
It was a rhetorical question. Cain meant, "Of course
I'm not responsible for my brother’s welfare!" Seldom
in history has anyone been more wrong. "Yes Cain, you
are your brother's keeper."
So can I move the apostrophe over for a moment? "Am I
my brother's keeper" (see the punctuation mark between
the "r" and the "s"?) Put it after the "s." Am I my
brothers' keeper? Because, beloved, we are. We are to
look after all our brothers and sisters.
They say that in churches 20% of the people do 80% of
the work. That means that 8 out of 10 church members
basically sit in pews and do nothing for God’s kingdom.
Their inaction becomes a lifetime habit.
I urge you to begin a lifetime habit of service to your
local congregation. Mentor little children! Visit
elderly saints! Teach Bible classes! Volunteer to help!
Get to know, not just friends your own age, but those
from different demographic groups. Greet visitors
before you greet your friends. The latter (that is,
your friends) will still be there after you’ve met the
newcomer.
Your local congregation provides you with Biblical
preaching, rejoices when you rejoice, weeps with you
when you weep, provides a pool of Christian friends,
mentors, and offers opportunities to serve.
As author and preacher Dan Winkler put it:
"The church 'somewhere' cannot weep with us when we
weep,' cannot serve us when we are in need, cannot
provide guidance when you're lost. Every Christian
should be a part of a local church. "Floating members
make sinking churches!"/1
Every Christian should feel the responsibility for his
congregation, its moral and spiritual health, its
unity, its faithfulness to God and his word! Frequently
Christians want all the blessings of a church without
the responsibilities of a church.
So I have just one question for you. Where is your
brother (or sister)? You are their keeper!
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